Taieri edged Kaikorai 24-18 in a tense match at Peter Johnstone Park this afternoon.
The home side can credit some tough defence for the win and their ability to convert pressure into points.
Kaikorai will reflect on a bunch of missed opportunities.
But arguably the key moment came midway through the second half when winger Mefi Tupou burst out of the defensive line hoping to stop centre Matt Whaanga before he could get going.
The seasoned midfielder brushed off the tackle and ran into the score from about 10m out.
Whaanga had scored a cracking try in the first half. He had run a nice line and bumped off an off-balance defence and angled his way to the line to score under the posts.
In the other games, Southern stormed back to beat Dunedin 39-31 in the Ron Reggett Memorial at Kettle Park.
They had trailed 24-12 at halftime. Southern fullback Mackenzie Palmer slotted two penalties, kicked four conversions and scored a try in the opening minute.
Harbour beat Zingari-Richmond 29-12 at Montecillo Park and Green Island recorded a 40-22 win against Alhambra-Union.